Landscape Liquor
(for Rick Mullin)
Start with water, Canada geese, and half-moons.
Stir a breeze, no make it a wind, and thirsty.
Ring with hills. This recipe calls for ashes,
ash trees, and cherries.
— Mary Meriam
Mary Meriam’s poems are published in Literary Imagination, The New York Times, The Gay & Lesbian Review, American Life in Poetry, Measure, Sentence, Think, Light, many other journals, and several anthologies. She is the author of two poetry chapbooks, The Countess of Flatbroke and The Poet’s Zodiac; the editor of Lavender Review; and a blogger at Ms. Magazine.
This poem has a dedication as part of it. What is the challenge of writing the “dedicated” poem and how, if at all, is that process different than writing the non-dedicated poem?
It seems difficult at first, but ultimately refreshing to step outside the usual inward-looking of poem-writing, and ponder another life, like an artist drawing from life. The mind wanders through memories of the person, Rick’s brilliant poems, paintings, books, posts, photos, videos, emails. The heart remembers his friendship, and it’s smooth sailing from there.
Check out the write-up of the journal in The Writer.
Matter Press recently released titles from Meg Boscov, Abby Frucht, Robert McBrearty, Tori Bond, Kathy Fish, and Christopher Allen. Click here.
Matter Press is now offering private flash fiction workshops and critiques of flash fiction collections here.
Submissions
Poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction/prose poetry submissions are now closed. The reading period for standard submissions opens again September 15, 2025. Submit here.
Upcoming
05/04 • Leath Tonino
05/11 • Chris Pellizzari
05/18 • Chris Clemens
05/25 • Clayton Eccard
06/01 • TBD
06/08 • TBD
06/15 • TBD
06/22 • TBD
06/29 • TBD
07/06 • TBD
07/13 • TBD
07/20 • TBD
07/27 • TBD
08/03 • TBD
08/10 • TBD
08/17 • TBD
08/24 • TBD
08/31 • TBD
09/07 • TBD
09/14 • TBD
09/21 • TBD